These healthy blackberry muffins use oat flour (ground oats) as the base making them fluffy, juicy and gluten-free. You can use fresh seasonal blackberries or frozen blackberries (with any extra make a delicious blackberry smoothie!). They are easy and quick to make, perfect for breakfast, an afternoon snack or to pack along!
Why You Will Love This Recipe:
- These muffins are healthy yet soo tasty, they are low in sugar (and can be made with honey), high in fiber, and have 5 grams of protein each!
- They are perfect for special dietary needs as they are gluten free, and dairy free and can be made with honey instead of cane sugar.
- It's a perfect way to enjoy seasonal fruit (blackberries), just like this recipe with seasonal rhubarb - rhubarb muffins, or another berry muffin like this these healthy blueberry muffins.
- These fruity muffins are loved by all kids and toddlers, just like my orange muffins or banana whole wheat muffins.
- Using oat flour is an awesome alternative to get grains into your diet, change up the breakfast oatmeal, and make something gluten free.
Jump to:
Ingredients You'll Need
Listed, and shown below are the 9 simple ingredients you will need to make this recipe!
- Oat Flour: You can easily make your own (like me) by putting rolled oats into the blender and pulsing until fine flour. These muffins are just another way of having oatmeal!
- Blackberries: You can use fresh or frozen blackberries for this recipe! If you are using frozen blackberries, leave them in the freezer until you add them to the muffin batter. Alternatively, you can add other types of berries to suit your preference and what you have available.
Choosing Ripe Blackberries
Look for dark plump blackberries! When picking (either from the store or from the bush) choose ones that are dark black and purple rather than red. Fresh blackberries only last a couple of days, so each them right away, make them into muffins, or freeze them!
Love berries? Try this berry chocolate smoothie!
- Apple Sauce: This increases the moisture in the muffins and using this instead of perhaps yogurt or milk makes them dairy free.
- Eggs: Eggs support the texture and the rise of the muffin.
- Oil: Oil supports the crumb and the texture of the muffins.
- Cane Sugar: You can you cane sugar, white sugar, brown sugar, or honey to sweeten these muffins! I also tested these muffins with truvia sweetener and that worked well!
- Vanilla: Oh this is the best flavour boost in these amazing muffins. Alternatively, you could use the almond extract to make a tasty flavour!
- Baking Powder and Sea salt: You will need baking powder (not baking soda) to make these muffins rise! Sea salt enhances the flavor.
See recipe card for quantities.
Oat Flour
Where do I get oat flour? You can buy oat flour from grocery stores that sell more healthy items or in the baking aisle. I have found it in bulk stores, like my local store Crowsnest Pantry. Or you can make your own!
How do I make oat flour? What kind of oats do I use? To make oat flour, place rolled oats, quick oats, or steel-cut oats into a good blender or food processor, and blend for 1-5 minutes until it resembles thin flour.
Can substitute oat flour 1:1 for all-purpose flour in muffins? No, it's best not to use oat flour instead of regular flour. It can be slightly tricky to get the right ratio as oat flour absorbs a lot of liquid, and if it sits too long before baking it becomes crumbly. It is best to follow recipes that specifically call for oat flour if you would like to use more of it!
Is oat flour gluten free? To ensure oat flour is gluten free, use gluten free oats. Oats do not contain gluten however they are often grown close to wheat, or processed in a facility where they come in contact with gluten.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Healthy Muffins
Follow the photos from my kitchen to make these homemade muffins made without milk. See the recipe card below for exact ingredient details.
Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients - flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Use a whisk to mix everything well.
Mix wet ingredients: In a medium pot place the butter and stir on low until it is melted. Let it cool until it is not too hot to touch. (You can also melt the butter in the microwave.)
To the cooled pot add eggs, water, and vanilla. Whisk together until it is well combined.
Fold everything together: Add the blueberries and egg mixture to the dry ingredients. Use a spatula to stir the batter together, about 12 folds, just until everything is incorporated. Do not over-stir.
Scoop & bake: Add about ⅓ cup of batter to fill each muffin cup. Place the muffin tin in the preheated oven to bake for 18-20 minutes. Remove muffins from the oven when they spring back from the touch and when the center does not look gooey.
Top tips
Measuring Flour: The amount of oat flour can greatly impact the recipe. To get just the right amount spoon the oat flour into the measuring cup instead of scooping it as this compacts it. Or weigh to measure, you want 180 grams.
Don't let the batter sit: Make sure to put the muffins in the oven right away. If they sit too long on the counter the moisture will absorb and they will become crumbly.
Frozen Blackberries: If you are using frozen blackberries (instead of fresh) leave them in the freezer right until you add them to the mixing bowl.
Cut the blackberries: If you want more evenly distributed blackberries you can cut the large berries in half before adding them. (You can't really do this with frozen blackberries but they still taste fine)
Substitution and Variations
Here's a few ways you can change this healthy recipe to make it suit your preferences!
- Use other Berries: Instead of blackberries try this recipe with blueberries, raspberries, or chopped strawberries to make healthy oat flour fruit muffins!
- Chocolate Chips: Add ½ cup of chocolate chips to have blackberry chocolate chip muffins!
- Mini Toddler Friendly: Bake these muffins in a mini muffin tray to make every toddler squeal!
Nutrition Insight + Protein Boost
Key nutrients of a blackberries are: fiber, vitamin C, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc.
These oatflour muffins are high in fiber from the oats, apple sauce, and blackberries. There is 5 grams of protein from the oats, and eggs. This is a great way to start the day or to include a healthy snack in the day!
To make it more protein dense: add ⅓ cup hemp hearts to the flour before mixing the muffins all together. Increasing the muffins to 7 grams of protein each. This will make the flavor a bit more nutty tasting.
Storage and Freezing
Store these muffins out of direct sunlight in an airtight container. They will last three days on the counter, if you want to make them last longer place them in the fridge for another 4 days.
These muffins are freezer friendly. Place muffins in an airtight bag or container and freeze. To dethaw leave muffins on the counter at room temperature for a few hours or overnight. Enjoy within 3 months of freezing, after that they won't go bad, they may just not taste as fresh.
Yes! These muffins are nutrient-dense, containing good fibre from the blackberries and oats, they are also low in sugar. They contain 5 grams of protein from the eggs and oats (you can add hemp hearts to increase the protein). These healthy muffins are a great way to include another grain - oats (instead of classic gluten), as well as seasonal fruit into your everyday diet.
Yes! You can use frozen blackberries in muffins. Do not defrost them first as they will make your muffins with purple streaks, as well as make them more liquidy. Add frozen blackberries to the muffins frozen right from the freezer.
Healthy Baked Snacks
Looking for other healthy snack recipes like this? Try these:
Like this recipe for Healthy Blackberry Muffins? Let me know down below the recipe! And give this recipe a star rating. I love hearing from you, and it helps others make the recipe too!
Healthy Blackberry Muffins (using oat flour, gf)
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ cup applesauce
- 3 eggs
- 4 tablespoon oil
- ½ cup sweetner cane sugar, brown sugar, truvia, or honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups (180 grams) oat flour see how to make in notes
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 cups blackberries fresh (288 g) or frozen
Optional:
- ½ cup hemp hearts to increase protein, and nutrient density
Instructions
- Prepare your muffin pan by greasing each cup or placing muffin liners inside. Preheat the oven to 375 degree Fahrenheit. This is important to start with as you don't want the batter to sit too long.
- Mix together the applesauce, eggs, oil, sweetener of choice, and vanilla until well combine.
- In another bowl whisk together the dry ingredients, the oat flour (to make your own see notes - it's easy!), baking powder, and sea salt. For more protein add ⅓ cup hemp hearts. Then add half of the blackberries (1 cup) stir well.
- Pour the dry flour mix into the wet sugar mix, stir together just until mixed. Put batter into the muffin pan: a little less than ⅓ cup each to make 12 muffins. Distribute the leftover blackberries on top of the muffin batter.
- Right away, place the muffins into the oven (375 F) for 18-20 minutes until cooked (they will spring back to the touch). Let them cool for a few minutes before removing them from the pan.
- Let will last 3 days on the counter, then place them in the fridge for another 3-4 days. Or freeze, they will last at least 3 month this way.
Kate
I have just made these tonight to use up some eggs and they are delicious. I used brown sugar and EVOO because that was what I had it and they were great. Thank yoi
Danika Vanderpyl
Kate - so great to here these did well with your adjustments! Enjoy the muffins. 🙂
Becky
Love these! Made these with a gluten free flour blend as it was what I had on hand, still turned out great!
Danika Vanderpyl
Yay glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Lovely Goosen
I enjoyed this! So delicious and healthy! My 2yr old son loved it as he blackberries are his favourite.
danikavanderpyl
Love hearing this Lovely! The littles always love the berries don't they?! Awesome to hear.
Naomi
I made these with blueberries instead of blackberries but they were still delicious. Very moist. I was able to keep them in the fridge for almost 2 weeks with no issues.
I'll be making these again.
danikavanderpyl
Naomi! Glad you enjoyed these, great to hear they lasted two weeks!